On 7 Aug 2003 05:59:41 -0700, (Captain Wubba)
wrote:

In general, I'm not aware of any issues regarding pregnancy, altitude,
and flying, other than physical comfort. If your wife wishes to act
as PIC, she should be aware that as far as the FAA is concerned,
pregnancy is not sufficient reason for grounding unless her mobility
(or bladder capacity) is a concern.

FYI, my wife and I fly while she was pregnant, we took car trips with
our daughter when she was nine months old and while my wife was
pregnant with our son, right over the continental divide at 12000+
MSL. We even went for a short hike at that altitude. Other than
getting winded as one would expect, we had no other problems.

We flew with my daughter here and there until she was about 13 months
old. After that, my wife's mobility was getting limited by pregnancy
again, and the logistics of managing a baby on an airfield by one's
self are not nearly easy as it might first seem.

4. Are there any resources that anyone know of concernign flying with
small children (i.e. headsets, inner-ear issues, etc.?

Hearing protection is probably the biggest concern. This can be taken
care of by cutting down foam ear plugs to put in their ears and then
using a pair of ear muffs or a cap to hold them in place.

My daughter has flown with me both with and without hearing
protection. Our airplane, a Cardinal FG, isn't particularly noisy and
the back seat is far enough away from the engine and propeller that
noise isn't overwhelming. If your airplane is noisy, you might
consider replacing the windshield with a thicker plexiglass. Most
aircraft have some sort of STC for this sort of thing. A lot of cabin
noise comes from the pulses of air off the propeller slapping against
the windshield.

Since my children were so close in age, flying with the whole family
became a logistical nightmare when my son was born only sixteen months
later. There is just too much stuff to pack. So I curtailed most of
their flying activities until now. Today, at ages 3 and 4, they are
old enough to manage on the airfield without the hassle of taking
along heavy, well provisioned diaper bags, they're potty trained to
where they let me know with enough advance warning, and they're strong
enough to walk 1/4 mile across a parking ramp without complaint or
asking me to carry them.

Let me mention this one bit of caution for later: As with a car, KIDS
BELONG IN THE BACK SEAT. Do not put them in the co-pilot's seat until
you can be SURE they won't do something impulsive or stupid, such as
bring their feet up to push the flight controls. ASRS has reports on
this.

Packing a family with a single child in an airplane is busy work.
Packing two toddlers in to an aircraft involves lots of planning and
care, at least until they reach an age where they can help care for
themselves. I recommend that the adults outnumber the children in
this application.

I wish you and your wife a smooth, uncomplicated pregnancy and a
healthy baby. The fun is just beginning.


Jake Brodsky,
PP ASEL IA, Cessna Cardinal N30946, Based @ FME
Amateur Radio Station AB3A